Well digging in Riga and the Riga region

Dug well, spike well or borehole

A dug well takes water from the upper groundwater layer. The building code describes it as a solution for water lying no deeper than 10 m below ground level. A well stores a reserve of water, it can be cleaned and repaired, and water can be taken from it even without electricity. Its weak points: the upper layer is more sensitive to pollution from the surface, and in a dry summer the level drops.

Many people search for “well drilling”, but a dug well is dug, not drilled. If you are thinking of a drilled water source, that is a spike well (“spice” in Latvian, a shallow borehole with a filter driven into the ground) or a borehole (drilled down to a deeper, better protected layer). Comparisons: borehole or dug well and dug well or spike well.

Where to dig a well

The spot decides both how clean the water is and how convenient the well will be to use. State rules set no minimum distance between your own well and a septic tank, so we choose the spot by good practice and the lie of the land:

• as high as possible and upstream (in the groundwater flow) of the septic tank, holding tank, toilet, compost and barn, not downstream of them;
• away from the road, parking area, and places where fuel and chemicals are stored;
• where rainwater from the roof and yard does not run towards the well;
• not under large trees: roots look for water and can damage the joints, and leaves fall into the well;
• close enough to the house to keep the water pipe short, with access for an excavator and the ring delivery truck.

The best guide to depth is the neighbours' wells: how many rings they have and whether they run dry in summer. In some municipalities the spatial plan may also set its own requirements for where a well is placed, so these are worth checking before digging. On protection zones: protection zone around a well.

How a dug well is dug

1. Site inspection We assess the lie of the land, sources of pollution, access and the depth of the neighbours' wells. We choose the digging method and the ring diameter.
2. Digging and sinking the rings We dig a pit down to the water with an excavator, and lift the rings in with a crane or the excavator. If the soil flows or the water is high, we place a ring on the well spot and dig from inside: the ring slides down under its own weight, and we put the next one on top of it.
3. The aquifer We dig into the aquifer as deep as the inflow allows. If the layer is no thicker than 3 m, the well takes in its full thickness, so that a reserve is left in a dry summer.
4. Bottom filter We lay a layer of washed gravel and pebbles at the bottom. In sandy soil it holds back the sand, so that it does not come up with the water.
5. Sealing the joints We seal the joints between the rings from inside, especially the upper ones, through which surface water would otherwise run in.
6. Top and cover The top ring stays above ground. Around it we backfill a layer of clay and shape a slope away from the well, then fit a tight cover. How this part can be finished: well top and cover.
7. Pumping out and disinfection We pump out the first cloudy water several times, disinfect the well and let it refill.
8. Testing Before drinking, we recommend a laboratory test: we take the sample ourselves and deliver it to an accredited laboratory. More: well water testing.

Soil and season

Digging a concrete-ring well in sandy soil is usually the simplest: water flows in well, and the rings slide down evenly. In clay, water flows in slowly, and the well has to be dug deeper or wider to store a reserve. Quicksand is the hardest case: it pushes into the well under the edge of the ring, so we dig only from inside and lay a thicker bottom filter. Stones and boulders have to be lifted out or broken up in the well, and that slows the work.

The best time for a new well is the end of summer and autumn, when the groundwater level is at its lowest. A well dug in spring can seem full, but run dry in an August drought, because digging was stopped too high. If we dig in spring, we go deeper into the aquifer to leave a reserve. No one can guarantee in advance how much water the well will have: digging and the first dry summer show that.

Documents for a new well

A dug well needs no subsoil use licence from the State Environmental Service (VVD) if it is no deeper than 20 m and no more than 10 m³ of water is to be taken per day. A private house well usually meets both conditions.

In the construction rules, a water abstraction well is a first-group engineering structure. For a new first-group engineering structure, an explanatory memorandum (paskaidrojuma raksts) is submitted to the municipal building authority (būvvalde) through the Construction Information System (BIS). VVD's explanatory materials mention different documents, so before digging ask your municipality's building authority what it expects in your case.

What does well digging cost?

There is no single price for well digging, because two plots on the same street can need completely different work. The price is set by:

• The depth to the aquifer, so how many concrete rings are needed. Each ring means material, delivery and digging work, and the work gets slower with depth.
• The soil: sand, clay, stones, quicksand or high groundwater. In quicksand and with high groundwater you need a pump that runs non-stop, and a thicker bottom filter.
• The type and diameter of the rings: concrete or fibreglass rings, standard or larger diameter, and their delivery to the site.
• Access: whether an excavator and crane can reach the well spot, or the well has to be dug by hand from inside and the rings moved without machinery.
• Extra work: sealing the ring joints, a filter layer at the bottom of the well, a cover or well house, disinfection, a pump and a water pipe to the house.

In the form, give the address, the depth of the neighbours' wells if you know it, the soil and whether machinery can reach the spot. A specialist will assess the situation and state the price before we start the job. Other prices: prices.

When a new well is not worth digging

• The existing well can be restored: well deepening or a well repair is often enough.
• The groundwater is deeper than 10 m: a dug well will be expensive, and a borehole is the safer option.
• The plot is small, and there is nowhere to place the well uphill of the septic tank or the neighbours' sewage.
• There is a water main in the street, and a connection costs less: connecting to mains water.

We dig wells in Riga's private housing areas and the Riga region, including Baldone, Ādaži, Saulkrasti and Sigulda. For existing wells: well cleaning.